Category Archives: Fitness & Exercise

ROXANNE LEE powered to a pair of gold medals at the just concluded International Powerlifting Federation/ North American Powerlifting Federation Caribbean Championships, which was recently held in the US Virgin Islands.

At the championships, Lee also broke four regional records in the Women’s Masters division. She now holds records in the squat with a lift of 160kg (352 pounds), bench press 105kg (231 pounds), deadlift 157.5kg (346.5 pounds) and she shattered the record for the total amount of weight lifted in her division by recording a staggering 422.5kg (929.5 pounds).

On the final night of competition, Lee was awarded the prize for the best female lifter in the Masters Division which automatically qualified her for the highly acclaimed World Power Lifting Championships. This event will be held in Puerto Rico in November.

Lee admitted that the victories were most memorable when she stood atop the podium in national colours. The budding athlete also became one of the focal talking points at the Regional Championships with several administrators, competitors and fans all expressing their admiration for her remarkable achievements.

She was also featured in the media in the US Virgin Islands and became somewhat of a celebrity during the four-day competition. However, Lee has chosen to remain grounded and has projected her focus on the World Championships, where she expects to finish among the top three competitors in her category.

Meanwhile, the part-time gym instructor cites financial challenges as one of the main obstacles suppressing her progress. Although receiving some funding from one of her training partners and good friend Troy Toyer, Lee’s career has been severely handicapped by a lack of funds.

Unlike some other national powerlifters, Lee receives no assistance from the corporate sector despite numerous attempts to secure a sponsor. The local body provides some assistance for overseas tours but competitors are responsible for their own airfare.

Additionally, the costs of proper nutrition, supplements, professional gear and drug testing continue to rise and pose a major challenge to the financial resources of this outstanding athlete. Lee originally started getting involved in bodybuilding at the age of 20.

Before we begin, there will be a lot of references to bodybuilding and bodybuilders… but the principles in this article also apply to someone who is just trying to get ripped without the bulk. 🙂

I hear it all the time… I do so much cardio, and my diet and training are so on point, yet I still have this layer of fat covering my abs! What’s the matter with me? Well… that layer of muscle-masking mess that you might assume to be fat, is actually water.